A NRF Big Show 2026, the world's largest retail trade show, opened its doors this week with a significant shift in tone. Under the theme The Next Now, the event signaled that the phase of fascination with Artificial Intelligence is over. The technology is now treated as “basic infrastructure” — like electricity or the internet — shifting the core debate to the reorganization of brands within ecosystems and the new strategic role of physical stores.
At the official opening, Matthew Shay, President and CEO of the National Retail Federation, highlighted the current convergence of economic pressure and technological acceleration. According to the executive, growth in modern retail is no longer tied solely to massive scale, but to precision: the ability to understand specific niches and deliver real value to a fragmented consumer.
The “Agent Commerce” Phenomenon”
One of the most discussed terms in the aisles of the Javits Center is agent commerce. The trend points to a near future where AI agents will actively mediate the shopping journey, making recommendation and comparison decisions based on the user's context.
This digital automation pressures physical retail to reinvent itself. If the transaction and logical choice migrate to AI, what remains for the store? The answer is emotion.
“For physical retail, this shifts the focus from simple conversion to more meaningful and memorable experiences. If the decision increasingly happens in the digital environment or is mediated by intelligent agents, the physical space must deliver what no AI can replace: emotional connection, identity, and lived experience,” analyzes Isabela Baracat, founder of of Pon.to Architecture, who was present at the event.
Communities vs. Mass
Validation of this model came during the keynote of by, Michael Rubin.
, CEO of Fanatics. The executive presented a case study based on communities engaged by passion (sports) and proprietary data, declaring that relevance will no longer come from mass communication, but from the depth of the relationship.
“In this context of an integrated ecosystem (where product, logistics, content, and technology interact), the physical store evolves from a ”transactional" location to a platform for belonging.
"When retail begins to operate on an ecosystem logic, the environment ceases to be merely functional. It becomes a strategic relationship platform. Architecture, in this scenario, becomes a strategic language capable of translating values," adds Baracat.
The Verdict of 2026.
